Sachertorte recipe | Epicurious.com Advertisements Preparation 1. To make the torte: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Dust the sides of the pan with flour and tap out the excess. 2. In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool. 3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a eavy-duty standing mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 inute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners' sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla. 4. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks.

Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour. 5. Spread evenly in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (The cake will dome in the center.) Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the paper and reinvert on another rack to turn right side up. Cool completely. 6. To assemble: Using a long serrated knife, trim the top of the cake to make it level. Cut the cake horizontally into two equal layers. Place one cake layer on an 8-inch cardboard round. Brush the top of the cake layer with the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top and brush again. Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Transfer the cake to a wire rack placed over a jelly-roll pan lined with waxed paper.

Let cool until the glaze is set. 7. Make the chocolate glaze (it must be freshly made and warm). Pour all of the warm chocolate glaze on top of the cake. Using a metal offset spatula, gently smooth the glaze over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides, being sure that the glaze completely coats the cake (patch any bare spots with the spatula and the icing that has dripped). Cool until the glaze is barely set, then transfer the cake to a serving plate. Refrigerate until the glaze is completely set, at least 1 hour. Remove the cake from the refrigerator about 1 hour before serving. 8. To serve, slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water. Serve with a large dollop of whipped cream on the side. MAKE AHEAD: The cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight cake container at room temperature. Extra! Tips from Epicurious: Quality ingredients will really make a difference in this cake. Valhrona chocolate is perfect because of its dark, almost bitter flavor.

For the most authenticity, look for the Austrian brand D'Arbo apricot preserves and Austrian Stroh rum for the glaze. For the best results, be generous with the apricot glaze — don't miss a spot, and let plenty sink into the cake before you pour on the chocolate. From the book Kaffeehaus: The Best Desserts from the Classic Caf¿of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague by Rick Rodgers ©2002 Published in 2002 by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a member of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Nutritional Info Sachertorte Recipe - Allrecipes.com brig0515 6/30/2009 My grandparents live in Vienna, and i've spent summers there my entire life. This is not the sachertorte i have enjoyed at the Hotel Sacher on countless occasions. This recipe is too moist, not... ELFINDANCER 2/21/2002 My husband has been begging me to make this torte since he went to Vienna and had the real thing. It came out nicely, though not exactly the same. A nice cake for company nontheless. The coffee...

sharon markley 3/5/2009 this sachertorte was excellent. In Vienna I went to the Sacher hotel to try Sachertorte. It was dry and uninteresting. My sister later went to Vienna and tried 3 tortes, also dry. This taste... SHARRADOG 2/22/2004 I liked this recipe, the torte was moist and tasty. However I found the icing too sweet. I had a hard time cutting the cake in half, but that might be my technique - someone told me that a thr... DEBBYSK 2/10/2004 The frosting is what makes this cake. You can substitute a bit of coffee liqueuer, 1 to 2 tablespoons (whatever it takes to making spreading consistency) for the coffee. Cake is nice with a doll... Christiane61 3/16/2001 Very good. I had made a similar recipe before but it wasn't as good. (I didn't include the coffee.) lovetocook 8/24/2011 I'll have to confess that with this cake I start with a dark chocolate cake mix made in 2 round cake pans.

I follow the chocolate icing and filling mix to the tee. After taking the cake out of ... MichaelALoftus 4/15/2011 Attempting to bake this cake was quite a humbling experience. After failing with the Sachertorte Icing and having the cake portion end up crumbly I decided to just find one online. Word to the ... Heidi Larson 7/11/2011 This torte was excellent. I cooked the icing for about 10 minutes over the double boiler and the texture was perfect. I pureed low-sugar apricot preserves in the blender, which also worked wel... Sachertorte Recipe Sachertorte Recipe Description A delicious fine moist very chocolaty cake that is one of the famous historic foods from Wien (Vienna), the capital of Austria. Summary Whisk up an egg white & sugar foam. Whisk up butter & sugar foam. Mix the foams together with flour, yolks & lots of chocolate. Bake Coat with a chocolate & sugar syrup glaze. Takes approximately: 30 min work, 80 min cooking, 180 min total.

Ingredients Dark Eating Chocolate 150 g Note that chocolate appears twice in the list (in both the cake & the glaze) making 275 g in total. Equipment Oven. 2 mixing bowls. Electric whisk (or hand one if you have lots of time). Knife. Scales (or just estimate). Microwave oven with microwaveable bowl (or a hob & saucepan but that is more hassle). Round cake tin (preferably with push-out bottom) about 20 cm diameter & 10 cm high. A cup (or similar as temporary egg yolk container). Baking paper (or reusable equivalent). Detailed Instructions Split each of the 6 eggs putting the whites in a mixing bowl. (This is the stage that requires most care. Split each egg three ways: into yolk, white & shell. Discard the shells of course. Err on the side of purity of the egg whites as even a minute amount of fatty egg yolk in the whites mixture can seriously reduce their ability to foam when whisked but a little white in the yolk mixture causes no problem.) The cake body: The egg white foam: Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl. Whisk until fairly stiff & foamy.

(Do not get any fat in this mix from the yolks, butter or chocolate because it will go flat.) Add three quarters (150 g) of the sugar. Whisk until fully stiff & foamy. (It is the air in this which inflates the cake so make sure there are as many little bubbles in there as possible.) The butter foam: Give the 100 g of butter a short blast in the microwave to get up to soft, but not molten state (not vital but it saves time whisking & deters the whisk firing out lumps of butter across the kitchen). Put the remaining 50 g of sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the 100 g of butter. Add some vanilla flavouring. Put the first load (125 g) of chocolate in the microwave bowl & melt the chocolate in the microwave. Meanwhile, return to the butter/sugar mix & whisk until it goes pale & creamy looking. Add the egg yolks. Add the molten chocolate. Gently (not whisking because whisking something this sloppy would knock the bubble back out) mix the ingredients in the bowl.

Add the 125 g of plain flour to the butter/yolk/sugar mixture via a sieve (because lumps of white flour show up badly in this brown cake). Add the whites foam to the butter/yolk/sugar/flour mixture (not the other way around or you will have two horribly greasy bowls to wash up instead of one). Mix very gently folding the ingredients together (actually it does not matter if the mixing is imperfect because the resulting marbled effect is quite attractive, although definitely not traditional, but ensure the heavy chocolate does not all end up at the bottom of the bowl because it end up in the middle of the cake making that bit too dense to cook fully before the top burns). Line the cake tin with greaseproof paper. Fill cake tin with the mix. Bake at 170°C (Gas Mark 3.5) for about 70 min. Allow to cool in the tin (so it does not slop) upsidedown (so that the more noticeable top of the cake ends up flat at the expense of the bottom) until at room temperature (about 30 min). The filling: Microwave the 150 g of apricot jam until it melts.

Cut the cake body in half horizontally & place the halves with inner (cut) faces uppermost. Pour the molten jam onto both halves of the cake. Allow it to soak in. Reassemble the cake. Allow the surface to cool again. The glaze: Microwave the 150 g of golden syrup (NB: 150 g of syrup is about 100 ml and therefore about 5 heaped dessertspoonfuls.) & the remaining 150 g of chocolate together until the syrup just starts to bubble (it does not need not be quite this hot but the first bubble is a convenient temperature indicator). Do not let the mixture seriously boil as that cooks the chocolate causing the glaze to go grainy. Stir it until they are smoothly mixed. Allow it to cool to about 25°C. It should now be spreadable and able to support a thickness of about 2 mm on a vertical surface (test on the wall of the bowl) yet return to shiny soon after being spread. If it is too hard or soft, add more golden syrup or chocolate and go back to the microwaving stage. (The exact amount of syrup needed depends on the sugariness of the chocolate.

About equal weight of syrup & chocolate for normal UK plain eating chocolate (which is 50% cocoa solids) but more syrup if using darker (e.g. 70%) chocolate.) Spread cake body with the glaze. Leave it to set. Freezing The cake is quite long lasting, especially before its protective glaze is breached, and can easily remain at (normal UK) room temperature for a week before use. However it also freezes well: Frozen, it will keep fine for months with the only noticeable damage being sometimes a loss of sheen to the glaze. To freeze it, simply put it still on its plate in a freezer without the cake touching anything else. Once solid the frozen cake (plus plate) is robust and can simply be wrapped in a carrier bag and returned to the freezer casually stacked with other frozen goods. To defrost it, take it out the freezer, remove the bag, cover it with an upturned bowl(not touching the cake) or similar to keep dirt off and leave it at room temperature for several hours. Microwaving on full power does not work as well because the glaze melts and runs off before the cake body defrosts.

To transport it I usually just put a bowl over the cake and put the plate, cake & bowl in carrier bag. Tying the top of the bag holds the bowl protectively over cake and the remaining handle tops provide a carrying point that reduces tipping of the cake - I have even cycled to parties with a cake hanging from my bike's handlebars like that with never having damaged the cakes in the process. If travelling for a longer time then simply pack it up like that still frozen as the frozen state will give it more protection initially and it can defrost ready for use in transit. If you know whilst you are making the cake you are going to be freezing it then freezing it before glazing it makes it easier to glaze, it being harder. It also means you can postpone glazing if you run out of chocolate! Miscellaneous 'Sachertorte' is not pronounced (English phonetic) "s-a-sh-er-t-or-t" but more like "z-a-kh-u-t-or-r-t-uh" where 'kh' is similar to the 'ch' in 'loch' in English & 'uh' is the neutral vowel.

To get the traditional perfectly cylindrical shape, trim the cake body into a circle with vertical edges & cut the top off flat before glazing. This wastes cake though so, if you are making the cake for its taste not its appearance, don't bother. Getting the surface smooth from hollows saves on glaze though. Don't use white chocolate in the cake body because it is fairly unnoticeable by flavour & colour and leaving only the moistening effect. The 'dark eating chocolate' referred to is dark by UK standards where the archetypical dark chocolate is (what is now called) Cadbury's Bournville Classic only about 38% chocolate solids. In countries (possibly soon including the UK where Bournville has recently been raised to 60%) where dark chocolate means 70% or more, this recipe might need adjustment. The chicken eggs are UK size 'medium' which is about 60 g (officially 53-63 g). If using eggs of a significantly different size, adjust the number of eggs accordingly. Don't use self-raising flour. It creates large bubbles in the cake.

Although the cake body is essentially a Savoy sponge with lots of added chocolate, don't describe it as such before someone tries it because they might expect sponges to be light and fluffy and mistakenly think this has been cooked wrong because, with of all that chocolate & jam, it is rich, dense & moist instead. If carried out in the order above, no tool should need to be washed up more than once. It is not very sticky so cheaper greaseproof paper (which is intended for wrapping rather than as non-stick but often is reasonably non-stick too) might be usable instead of baking paper. Alternatively the same baking paper can be reused several times (saving repeated cutting to shape as well as cost) if sponged down whilst washing up and left to dry. If taking to a party, do not use a plate to which you are sentimentally attached, is expensive to replace or is needed to make up a set. Often people want to hang on to the leftovers to eat later and the glaze typically sticks them to the plate so they borrow the plate too and frequently forget to return it. There are several other versions of Sachertorte.

The one from the Larousse Gastronomique food encyclopaedia uses even more eggs in the cake and egg & cream in the glaze. Nutrition (This is an approximation from adding up approximate values for the ingredients.) Origin Sachertorte was originally invented by Franz Sacher at the 1814-5 Congress of Vienna. This is a simplified version of a version of a recipe based on one from the 'Sacher-Kochbuch' which I got from a friend of a friend. My main simplifications have been whipping the whites mixture before the yolks mixture to avoid getting fat in the egg white foam without having to wash up the whisk twice and replacing a difficult boiled sugar-water solution (slightly too little water causes the glaze to rapidly set and apply lumpily whereas slightly too much water causes the glaze to take a day to set and runs off cake) with twrivially easy golden syrup. Three years after publishing this, I accidentally put most of the sugar in the first bowl, instead of dividing it equally as intended, and found that both increased the egg white foaminess and reduced the butter whisking time so I incorporated that uneven sugar allocation in the recipe.

Seven years after publishing this, I accidentally put the flour in before the whites foam instead of the other way around and it worked better (less mixing needed so loss of air from the foam) so I adapted the recipe to that order. Distributable under GPL freeware licence. Written 2000/9/10. Updated 2003/5/7, 2007/4/29, 2007/10/24, 2008/6/24, 2011/6/14, 2011/12/31, 2013/1/30 & 2016/5/2. Available online at . Sachertorte Slices – Baking with Attitude August 18, 2013 First of all, these quantities make a huge cake. The idea here is to use a square cake ring to build the cake up, then leave it to set and cut it into slices.

If you, like me, do not own such magical item, you can use a square loose-bottomed cake tin (which you’ll need to make the sponges anyway). Just make sure you cover the sides with clingfilm as it will make easier to remove the cake once set. This a slightly boozier version of the traditional Sachertorte, with both the ganache and the sponge layers containing orange liqueur – needless to say, I used Cointreau. Also, you can leave it out and use orange juice or essence instead. This could be the perfect way of serving it up for any special occasions, as you can choose how big to make the slices and it moves a cake from being, well, a cake to being finger food. Genius! Ingredients (for the sponge layers) 7 large eggs, separated chocolate sprinkles, drops, curls Method Make the sponge layers first. Break up the dark chocolate, then tumble in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and slowly melt. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Line the bottom and butter the sides of a square loose-bottomed cake tin (mine is approximately 30x30cm), then pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Using a freestanding mixer (or by hand), cream the butter with 150g sugar, then add the vanilla extract. Slowly start adding the egg yolks, one by one, beating well after each addition. Once finished, slowly add the chocolate mixture too, beating well to obtain a glossy and dark chocolate mixture. In another bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks with the remaining sugar (30g) until you get a glossy meringue, then use a plastic spatula to incorporate to the chocolate mixture. Start with one third of the egg whites and use ample and slow movements to mix that into the chocolate mixture, then carefully add the rest being careful not to knock too much air out. Mix the flour and the salt, then sift over the mixture. Slowly mix that in too. Transfer the chocolate mixture into the prepared tin, level the surface and push the mixture into the sides. Bake for about 40 minutes. Once cooked, transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out of the cake tin and leave to cool completely. Now move on to the ganache. Finely grate or chop the dark chocolate, then set aside.

In a small pan, bring the cream to the boil, then tumble in the chopped chocolate and leave to stand for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula or a whisk to mix and smooth out any chocolate bits. Slowly pour in the liqueur, then cover with clingfilm and leave to cool and harden slightly. When the sponge layers have cooled down completely, you can start assembling the cake. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake into two even layers, then set those aside. In a small pan, melt the sugar with the water and boil for about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the orange liqueur. Transfer one of the sponge slices to the prepared cake tin (see introduction) or a square cake ring, then use a pastry brush to brush the cake layers with the soaking medium. This will ensure your cake is very moist and full of flavour. Top with most of the apricot jam and spread it to create an even layer, then top with the other sponge layer and soak that with the sugar and liqueur syrup too. Brush the top of the cake with the remaining apricot jam, then leave to set for about half an hour.

Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cake and use a spatula to smooth it out and spread it right until the corners. Transfer the cake to the fridge for an hour to set. Once set, sprinkle the top of the cake with the chocolate sprinkles and/or curls and/or drops. Be as artistic as you like. return the cake to the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight). When ready, carefully and slowly remove the cake from the cake tin, then use a very sharp knife to cut even slices. You can choose whether to have square or rectangular slices. Serve at once. Share this: Sachertorte Cupcakes | Harmony à la Carte Harmony à la Carte Wholesome Plant Based Recipes and Ideas Main Menu · by Harmony à la Carte · in Desserts , Natural Sweets . · I do my best to eat a simple diet, based on whole grains, vegetables, beans and legumes, with little to no processed and refined foods. Every now and again, I get a craving for something sinful. Rather than depriving myself, I indulge in moderation and by adapting the recipe to suit my needs.

While it’s not always possible to create something that is both sinful and healing, with a little bit of effort, trial and error, I can usually come up with a healthier version of a sinful treat. These Sachertorte style cupcakes are a great example. Sachertorte is a famous traditional Viennese chocolate layer cake, filled with apricot jam and topped with chocolate ganache and it happens to be Hubby’s favourite dessert since it contains two of his favourite things; chocolate and apricot jam. I’ve only ever eaten a traditional Sachertorte once in my life. Shortly thereafter, I gave up dairy, eggs and sugar and since it contains all of the above, I never had the cake again. Sachertorte is quite popular here in Italy and every so often we pass by a bakery and Hubby stops in the window to admire the Sachertorte’s on display. For over a year now, I’ve been wanting to make my own vegan sugar-free version of the Sachertorte for Hubby’s sake, but it hasn’t happened, until now. Sort of. I woke up at 7:30am on Saturday morning and Hubby was still in stage four sleep.

Unable to get back to sleep myself, I decided to get out of bed and use the time productively, rather than stare at the wooden beams in the ceiling. So, I decided to bake something. I had had Sachertorte on the mind for some time, but a layer cake seemed like too much work for a Saturday morning. So I decided on cupcakes. I started with a simple vegan sugar-free chocolate cake recipe that I created some time ago for hubby’s birthday (which I had sandwiched and topped with coconut frosting and shredded coconut, another of his all time favourite ingredients). It’s bound to make a come back at some point so I’ll post it then. For now, that tried and proven chocolate cake recipe served me well as a base for these cupcakes. Fill muffin tins Bake on 180 celsius until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20 min) Let finished cupcakes cool before proceeding After I let the cupcakes cool, I cored them, filled them, frosted them and sprinkled them with chocolate chunks.

Start with a cooled cupcake Using an apple corer to core the center of the cupcake Fill the cupcakes with apricot jam Replace the core Prepare chocolate ganache and cool completely before frosting the cupcakes Frost, let cool, sprinkle with chocolate chunks The result, decadent and sinful Sachertorte inspired cupcakes without the dairy, eggs and refined sugar. A real treat for a Saturday morning. Proud of my efforts, I sliced one open and headed to the bedroom to wake up Hubby, who upon opening his eyes was pleased to find his favourite dessert starring back at him. “I love you” he said…”but not just for the food eh…”. I like how Hubby says “eh”, must be my Canadian influence ;-).

Vegan Sugar-Free Sachertorte Cupcakes Wet Ingredients: 1/4 C Neutral Sunflower Oil (unflavoured/unscented) 1/2 C Organic Brown Rice Syrup (you could also use Maple Syrup for a sweeter end result) 1 C Soy Milk or Rice Milk 1 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar Method: Preheat oven to 180 Celsius (356 F) Line muffin/cupcake tray with paper holders Sift dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl Whisk wet ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix with a rubber or silicone spatula until well combined (do not overmix or the batter will stiffen) Pour batter into lined tray, about 1/3 cup of batter per cupcake Bake for about 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (adjust baking time based on your oven.

My oven is ventilated) Chocolate Ganache Ingredients: 8 Squares of Dark Chocolate (I used Vivani 92% Cocoa and slightly sweetened with Coconut Blossom Sugar, there are a total of 10 squares in the 80g bar, I reserved two to crush into chunks and top the cupcakes) 1/4 C Soy Milk 2 Tbsp Brown Rice Syrup 1/4 Tsp Pure Bourbon Vanilla Powder Method: Melt the chocolate using a bagno maria or double boiler method by placing the chocolate squares in a small bowl, over a pot of boiling water Once chocolate has melted, stir in soy milk, brown rice syrup, and vanilla. The mixture will thicken slightly. The ganache will be a bit runny at this point. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to cool and firm up the chocolate to a spreadable consistency. Make sure not to leave it in the refrigerator too long or it will solidify (see note below). Filling 16 Tsps of Organic Apple Juice Sweetened Apricot Jam Filling & Frosting the Cupcakes Using an apple corer, delicately remove the core of the cupcakes.

Cupcakes should be cooled completely before you do this or the core won’t come out clean and in one piece. Fill each cupcake with 2 teaspoons of jam (you can add up to 1 tablespoon if you like it really full). Place the core back in the cupcake. Once the ganache has cooled and firmed up slightly, remove from the refrigerator and frost the cupcakes using about 1 tablespoon of ganache per cupcake. Crush or coarsely chop two squares of chocolate and sprinkle chocolate chunks on top of the cupcakes. Indulge and enjoy! Notes & Tips The key to the ganache is good high quality dark chocolate. The Vivani brand I used is excellent. It has a slight caramel flavour and because it is sweetened with Coconut Blossom Sugar it has a relatively low glycemic index. I usually use 100% unsweetened cocoa squares to make the ganache, but I haven’t been able to find it lately. If you do use the unsweetened version, make sure to adjust the quantity of rice sweetener accordingly. 1/4 cup should do the trip, but it all depends on how sweet you like it.

If you use sweetened chocolate, you may not need the added sweetness at all. If the ganache solidifies, it will not be spreadable and if you reheat it, it will melt to a strange consistency as the oils will separate. Your best bet is to prepare the ganache when you’re ready to frost the cupcakes. I made the mistake of leaving two cupcakes unfrosted, and then when I reheated the ganache later to frost them, it was oily and lumpy. It still tastes good, but it doesn’t look as smooth and pretty. Sachertorte reviews page 2 | Epicurious.com users rating 3.5/4 This was easy to follow and make but I found the cake starting to burn at the edges at around 25 minutes. I pulled it out and was able to scrape the burned edges. Check your oven and keep and eye on the cake. A Cook from Southwest / 11.12.2011 flag if inappropriate This was tasty, but not chocolately enough and sweeter than the real thing. I will give it another go with really dark chocolate. I also found that 35 minutes was enough.

A Cook from Scotland / 03.27.2011 flag if inappropriate A great recipe. The notes are correct that using quality ingredients is key to authenticity. I used standard semi-sweet + unsweetened baking chocolate in a 50-50 ratio to approximate what I thought would be "bittersweet" chocolate. The cake (still yummy) was sweeter than I remember eating in Vienna. I also liked how a couple of Viennese bakeries serve the side of whipped cream unsweetened. I recommend following the procedures in the helpful video over the written instructions for the chocolate and apricot glazes. The chef visually demonstrates the precise consistencies you are after. (My candy thermometer and my application of the written instructions had things too thick.) After a passable first attempt, I will know just what to do next time. This cake is fantastic and brings back wonderful memories. Thank you for providing a good recipe!! ILoveVienna / 03.12.2011 If you love chocolate....you will love it! It is wounderful! A Cook / 01.09.2011 flag if inappropriate Made this the other day and it went down a treat!

Made a chocolate ganache instead of the glaze recipe, and although it doesn't create the same smooth look as traditional sachertorte I personally found it complemented the cake much more as it really brought out a nice chocolatey flavour. I also followed reviewers' suggestions to bake for 30-35 min and I'm glad I did because any longer in there and it would've turned out very dry! The sides cooked a little faster than the middle but it still tasted lovely all the same. Next time I'll do what some other reviewers suggest, and try baking at a lower temperature. cupcakefairy from UK / 09.16.2010 flag if inappropriate I used butter substitute and followed the recipe to make the Torte. I ended up needed the whole 45 minutes. At 30 minutes, the center was still liquid. I did not have time to cool the torte and put the glaze on while it was still warm. For the glaze I looked for a jam that did not have high fructose corn syrup in and the only thing available was raspberry jelly. So I did not have to make a glaze but spread it on directly.

I did not follow the recipe to the letter but the finished product was moist, not too dense and delicious!!! I made it for Valentine's Day and we loved it. LeCordonGreen from GA / 03.05.2010 flag if inappropriate I made this for my best friend who is an exchange student from Austria. She says it tastes just like the real thing! It was absolutely delicious, although I would recommend making the whipped cream just before serving because it tends to fall. YUM YUM YUM. nick12945 from rochester hills, mi / 12.29.2009 flag if inappropriate I made this recipe few days ago for a Christmas Eve dinner and it worked perfectly. Since I am coming from Europe, and was visiting Vienna many times and having Sachertote in the town I studied at every corner, I was very curious if this will taste authentic. I must admit I struggled a bit with apricot and chocolate glaze since I am not really into cakes and baking, but it was successful at the end. I did not bake torte for 45 minutes, but around 30-35 minutes, trimmed the top off but didn't make it very straight.

Since I didn't have rum at all, I used water for apricot glaze, and it took me forever to get it thickened. Also, I was not very happy with my chocolate glaze part while I was cooking it, it took me very long time to get what I thought was the correct consistency. At the end, torte tasted and looked perfect: not very sweet, not very dry, very authentic and everybody loved it. Definitely will make it again. A Cook from Dubai, UAE / 12.25.2009 flag if inappropriate could underbeating the egg whites remedy the dryness? my egg whites would not peak. i used them anyways--firm but a bit wet. after 30 minutes in the oven it looked and felt just right. the cake lost volume but the texture was denser, less dry and the flavor was more concentrated. it was tall enough to bisect. the layers did not break when cut. eleventh from sarasota / 07.18.2009 flag if inappropriate I made this for an "after concert" party, to go with the Viennese theme of the programme, and it was a smash hit.

Do not worry when it comes out of the oven looking awful - once trimmed it is fine. Be VERY generous with the Apricot glaze - that saves it from being dry, and insist on everyone having some whipped cream with the cake - there is a reason that it is the way to eat it in Vienna. I did not use the Chocolate glaze, and subbed a simple chocolate ganache (50/50 dark chocolate/buutter) which was fine. sophieew from Kent, UK / 07.07.2009 flag if inappropriate Sachertorte: Austrian Layered Chocolate Cake - Arousing Appetites: Home to the Serious Cook Arousing Appetites: Home to the Serious Cook Sachertorte: Austrian Layered Chocolate Cake Celebrating a Special Day for Viennese Food Today is a very special day. Yes, it’s Sinterklaas in Holland and Father’s Day in Thailand, but that’s not the reason why today is such a special food day. In fact, unless you’re a native of Vienna, Austria, or a buff on the Viennese cuisine, you might not immediately associate December 5 with National Sachertorte Day.

Have one bite of this decadent chocolate layered cake, however, and that might very well change. What is Sachertorte? The sachertorte is way, way more than just a rich chocolate cake, however. It is a crown jewel in the Viennese cuisine and a reminder that Vienna had one of the first true coffee house cultures before Starbucks and the like ruled the coffee world. Even the right to claim ownership to the famed sachertorte recipe has been a big point of pride for Viennese establishments, so much so that there were decades-long legal battles to determine who could call their recipe the “original sachertorte recipe”. More on these “torte wars” later, though. For all its contemporary renown and splendor, the origin of the sachertorte recipe is actually pretty.. modest. It started in 1832, when Prince Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, an extremely influential and impactful politician for the Austrian Empire of his time, requested that his head chef create a new and unique dessert to delight his diplomatic dinner guests. During this project, the chef fell very ill, and the responsibility of creating such a dessert fell all the way down to his 16-year old apprentice, Franz Sacher.

Sacher was just in his second year of apprenticeship but still managed to succeed in making this dessert worth delighting. Even then, however, the sachertorte itself didn’t receive much additional fanfare, and Franz Sacher continued on with his training en route to becoming a professional baker. It wasn’t until his son Eduard, also a professional baker, adapted and perfected his father’s recipe that the sachertorte finally began to gain acclaim. While still working at the Demel Imperial bakery, Eduard made and sold what are considered to be the first of the modern “original” version of the sachertorte as we now know it. When Eduard left the Demel bakery to open his own hotel, the Hotel Sacher, he took the recipe with him and made the sachertorte a staple item for his hotel’s menu. At this time, with the “modern era of chocolate” and the rise of the chocolate industry gaining momentum, Hotel Sacher became one of the go-to establishments for the Viennese to have coffee and socialize, all while over a slice of delicious chocolatey sachertorte.

After Eduard’s death and a 1934 bankruptcy of Hotel Sacher, Eduard’s son – also named Eduard – found employment back at Demel and transferred the selling rights of the “Eduard Sacher Torte” back to Demel. When the new owners of Hotel Sacher began selling and marketing the “Original Sachertorte” from 1938 onwards, so began the “torte wars”. The most intense series of legal battles between Demel and Hotel Sacher lasted between 1950-1957, also called the “Seven Year’s Cake War” for rightful ownership to the name. It wasn’t until an out-of-court settlement in 1965 – that’s right, almost 30 years later – that an agreement was made between the two torte-ious legal opponents. In the midst of these “torte wars,” many famous Viennese authors and celebrities who had tried both sachertorte versions would testify as witnesses to even the smallest of details between the cake. The usage of margarine versus butter and the thickness of the apricot filling in the middle, for example, were source of long-drawn arguments during the torte wars.

As you can see, this is not your ordinary chocolate cake. About the Sachertorte Recipe In terms of taste, the sachertorte is a fairly dense two-layer cake with apricot jam interlayers. The cake is made in similar fashion to a meringue with a significant proportion of fluffy egg whites. The first step is to make the “baseline batter” of sugar and butter. When adding the egg yolks next, it’s critical to only add the yolks one by one and mixing well in between to allow the batter to properly emulsify and stay rich. Thereafter, add the chocolate and move onto fluffing the egg whites. When fluffing egg whites, the key is to first whip the egg whites on their own and at a low speed to let pockets of air come into the egg whites. As you gradually increase the speed and intensity of your mixing and whipping, you can begin to add the sugar and continuously, feverishly keep whipping the egg whites. After at least 15 minutes of whipping, you’ll have a very fluffy egg white mixture you can then fold into the chocolate batter. But the key to what makes the sachertorte so special, however, isn’t in the cake itself.

Rather, what makes the sachertorte so special is the chocolate glaze icing, the hint of apricot jam in the middle, and the accompanying whipping cream. It’s in the glaze where most of the chocolate decadence comes from, in the jam where you have a taste not overly dominated by chocolate, and in the lightness of the whipping cream to perfectly complement the denseness of the cake itself. Let it be known that making a sachertorte from scratch is no easy feat. In fact, it’s a full on labor of love to do it properly. In our tests of making the sachertorte, we learned ourselves that the cake comes out best when it can be made over the span of a few days, especially when the apricot jam and the chocolate glaze have been applied. There are, however, faster and easier ways to make the cake in a few hours, and helpful tutorials like this video can shorten the process from a couple days to only a few hours. Our Take on the Recipe While the original sachertorte itself is awesome (and you can order the real deal for deliver here ), we thought it would be a fun challenge to further adapt and make healthy tweaks to the original sachertorte recipe we referenced.

The tweaks are also a great way to ensure that no further torte wars come our way too. One of the biggest adjustments made in all areas of the sachertorte – from the cake to the glaze to the whipping cream – was the use of coconut products. Instead of regular sugar, we opted to use coconut sugar since it contains more nutrients and has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar. In a nutshell, it’s a far healthier alternative that also produces a much less intense taste as well. Instead of all-purpose bleached flour, we swapped in a slightly healthier organic pastry flour from Arrowhead mills (affiliate link) as well. The flour has a lower gluten count, contains more nutrients, and has no additives that regular bleached all-purpose flour would have, plus the texture and consistency of the flour makes it great for baking lighter cakes and pastries as well. It’s not as intensely healthy as coconut flour would be, for example, but it was the right type of substitution to make without changing the end composition of the sachertorte. The biggest change – and perhaps still the biggest work in progress – came in the glaze.

Instead of using powdered sugar like the original recipe suggests, we opted to use a combination of coconut oil and coconut butter in addition to chocolate for the glaze. The glaze came out great, although it was a little short of the desired thickness from the original sachertorte recipe. Once we get it right, we’ll come back and adjust the recipe presumably to contain more coconut butter. Finally, instead of whipped cream, we used the creamy portion of coconut milk that separates from the water. Place a can or container of coconut milk in the fridge for several hours to let it separate, and you’ll end up with a delicious and far healthier alternative to traditional whipping cream (and certainly much better than Cool Whip). Add a pinch of coconut sugar, whip it all together, and you’ll be good to go. Whew! There is no doubt a lot to making sachertorte. It is an intense journey, but certainly one well worth it. You’ll see why with your first bite with a dab of whipped cream and a sip of coffee, just as the Viennese love to do. Happy National Sachertorte Day to all! Have you tried making a sachertorte before? Have you had one of the originals?

Leave a comment below and let us know! Sachertorte Stage 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Begin melting the baking chocolate for the cake in a bain-marie or double-boiler with a few splashes of water As the chocolate melts, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place the egg whites in the fridge to use for later Mix the butter, ½ cup of the ground coconut sugar, ground vanilla bean pod, and a pinch of salt together. You should start to get clumps of the butter well-mixed with the other ingredients Slowly add the egg yolks in one by one. As you add each egg yolk in, mix it thoroughly into the butter before adding the next. Repeat until all egg yolks have been added and mixed Take the melted chocolate from the bain-marie and add to the mixture. Mix the chocolate in well with the rest of the ingredients Let sit as you move to the next stage Stage 2 Mix together the flour and baking powder and set aside Remove the egg whites from the fridge and start to mix very slowly. If using a mixer, start mixing at the lowest setting.

You want air to come into the egg whites to help them fluff up Gradually increase the speed of mixing the egg whites, either by hand or with your mixer. As you increase the speed of mixing, begin adding the other ½ cup of ground coconut sugar to the egg whites. Beat until the egg whites become creamy and frothy, approximately triple in size Stage 3 Add the flour and baking powder to the chocolate, butter and egg yolk mixture. Mix well Once mixed, gently fold in the frothy egg whites into the mixing bowl. Be very gentle here, and do not mix the egg whites in. Fold them in Once everything is mixed together, pour the batter into the cake pan and place in the oven on the lowest rack for 1 hour Stage 4 After 1 hour, take the cake out of the oven and let sit for 15 minutes to cool down. In a small saucepan, heat the apricot jam over medium-low heat as it turns runny. After several minutes of stirring, remove from heat and strain into a bowl through a sieve.

This will help make it easier and smoother to spread evenly Once cool, remove the cake from the cake pan and place on an even surface Cut the cake at the middle point of thickness to create two even layers of cake. Place the top layer that's just been cut to the side With a smooth, flat-surfaced spreader, spread the apricot jam over the top of the bottom layer, perhaps even twice if you have enough left over Place the top layer of the cake back on (sandwiching the apricot jam) and glaze the entire cake with the remaining jam Let the cake and jam cool together in the fridge for another 1 hour Stage 5 In the same bain-marie as before, add the bittersweet chocolate for the glaze, coconut butter and coconut oil Bring a small saucepan to a boil with water and begin melting the chocolate, butter and oil together Once the glaze is close to melted and runny (about ~5-10 minutes), take the cake out of the fridge and put it on a wire rack over a baking tray. With a flat-faced cake spatula, spread the chocolate glaze across the top and sides of the cake very gently.

You don't want to spread too aggressively on the cake or else the glaze will appear dimpled and not smooth once done After the glaze has been added to the cake, place the cake back in the fridge and let cool for at least 1 more hour Stage 6 Prior to removing cake, remove cream from coconut milk can. Coconut milk naturally separates from the water, so you want what is separated. Do not get any of the liquid Whip together in a small bowl the coconut cream and a pinch of coconut sugar prior to serving Take the sachertorte out of the fridge and serve with whipped coconut milk cream Notes - A fantastic (albeit over-simplified) runthrough of the process can be found at this YouTube video . It is, however, in German - The sachertorte is best eaten in a specific room temperature, namely 60 to 64 degrees Farenheit 3.2.2885 Disclaimer: The link to Arrowhead Organic Pastry Flour is an affiliate link. It is a baking flour we have at home, use frequently, and readily recommend to anyone who asks. Every time you click the link, you support the blog and the content we provide in a small way.

There’s no requirement at all to click, but we really appreciate the contribution should you decide to use the link. Sacher Torte Recipe | King Arthur Flour P F T E According to the Sacher Hotel website, the story of the legendary chocolate cake filled with apricot jam began in 1832 in Vienna. Franz Sacher was a 16-year old apprentice at the court of Prince Metternich when he was asked to create an especially delicious dessert for distinguished guests. The guests loved it, and it became known as the Sacher-Torte. This classic chocolate cake is both light and rich at the same time, with an airy cake, a simple apricot jam filling and a decadent bittersweet glaze. As the cake sits to allow the glaze to set, the jam becomes absorbed into the cake and forms a slightly sweet moist layer in the center, an exquisite finish to any holiday or special occasion. Print recipe 04/10/2015 Misty from Baltimore I loved the cake part of this recipe, light, gently sweet, moist and easy to make.

Based on the reviews I went with a different ganache/chocolate drizzle and it set hard, but that was my own fault, the ratio of liquid to chocolate was off. I baked my cake in 2 9" pans and it would have been better to bake it in one deep pan and cut cake in half because my two rounds didn't stack perfectly. I also didn't strain apricot preserves, I like different textural experience it provides. Cake has been getting great comments from co-workers all day. Be sure to use a quality melting chocolate (wafers are best) when making the chocolate ganache. To ensure you have the right ratio of liquid to chocolate, you can weigh your ingredients using a scale (about 6 ounces of chocolate) and 8 ounces of boiling water. We're so glad your co-workers loved this recipe as much we do! Happy baking!

Kye@KAF 02/17/2015 Lailabakes from New Jersey Easy cake.....A better glaze is to make a 2:1 simple syrup with 200g Sugar ( 1 Cup) with 100 ml water, simmer for a few minutes and pour that on 6 or 7 ounces chocolate instead of boiling water, cool a few minutes before using on cake. 05/25/2014 neomi from virginia The cake itself was beautiful, but the glaze was a mess! As others wrote, the water/chocolate ratio must be off. Unfortunately, I read the review only after I glazed my cake. It did look very watery, but I never made water glaze before, and KAF recipes (which I use for years, from both cookbooks and the website) always work, so I went ahead. Well, most off the glaze went to waste, and the cake was not the beautiful shiny Sacher pictured at the website. I covered ugly glaze with fruit, and the flavor was still very good.

My 5 year old, who requested this for his birthday, didn't notice the problem with the glaze, and liked the cake, so it was fine, but KAF, please correct the glaze recipe. Thanks! I put in a question about this recipe to Bakersresource because there have been several comments about the glaze having too much water in it. Waiting for a response. Barb@KAF 04/07/2012 Anonymous Baker from Delicious and a lovely presentation. Best to eat on day of baking or next day. Icing: definitely, only 1/4 cup boiling water needed for 1 cup Belcolade chocolate discs; be sure to wisk water in gradually and quickly. I used Sarabeth's peach/apricot preserves but did not strain. 01/03/2011 Anonymous Baker from This was a big hit at Christmas dinner. I baked the cakes in 2 separate 8" pie pans to save from having to slice it. Since I couldn't find the good chocolate in town, I used Bakers Semi-Sweet squares, 6 for the cake and 6 for the icing.

It took a long time for the icing to set, but did not negatively affect it. 12/25/2010 Courtney from Paris. TX Cake is very good, but lighter chocolate than other Sacher tortes I've had (in Europe). The glaze definitely needs adjusting; there's way too much water, as rfalstad pointed out. I had to add about 22 oz. of chocolate to make it workable, and that made way too much glaze for this cake. I think the recipe should probably read 1/4 c. water. 12/14/2010 Anonymous Baker from This was delicious -- once I fixed the glaze. Pretty sure the proportions are off on the glaze. Mixing 6 oz chocolate with 8 oz water just gets you brown water -- not a glaze. Added lots more chocolate, & it was just right. Truly one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I've tasted. 12/14/2010 Anonymous Baker from This was delicious -- once I fixed the glaze. Pretty sure the proportions are off on the glaze.

Mixing 6 oz chocolate with 8 oz water just gets you brown water -- not a glaze. Added lots more chocolate, & it was just right. Truly one of the most delicious chocolate cakes I've tasted. Sacher Torte Recipe Sacher Torte recipe How to make it: Melt the chocolate slowly (ideally in a bain-marie). Meanwhile, mix the butter with the icing sugar and vanilla sugar until creamed. Gradually stir in the egg yolks. Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C. Grease a cake tin with butter and sprinkle with flour. Whip up the egg whites with a pinch of salt, add the crystal sugar and beat to a stiff peak. Stir the melted chocolate into the paste with the egg yolks and fold in the whipped egg whites alternately with the flour. Fill the dough into the tin and bake for around 1 hour. Remove the cake and leave to cool off (to achieve a flat surface turn the cake out on to a work surface immediately after baking and turn it again after 25 minutes). If the apricot jam is too solid, heat it briefly and stir until smooth, before flavouring with a shot of rum.

Cut the cake in half crosswise. Cover the base with jam, set the other half on top, and coat the upper surface and around the edges with apricot jam. For the glaze, break the chocolate into small pieces. Heat up the water with the sugar for a few minutes. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool down until just warm to the taste (if the glaze is too hot it will become dull in appearance, but if too cold it will become too viscous). Add the chocolate and dissolve in the sugar solution. Pour the glaze quickly, i.e. in a single action, over the cake and immediately spread it out and smooth it over the surface, using a palate knife or other broad-bladed knife. Leave the cake to dry at room temperature. Serve with a garnish of whipped cream. If possible, do not store the Sacher Torte in the fridge, as it will “sweat”. Guten Appetit! Sacher Torte © Österreich Werbung, Wolfgang Schardt More Austrian recipes

Question: What flavour of jam is used to make a traditional Sachertorte cake?
Answer: Apricot